Editor Editorial Committee Editorial Advisory Board

186 Pages·2014·2.07 MB·English

Editor
Lynda Quamina-Aiyejina

Editorial Committee
Simone Primus
Susan Herbert
Patricia Worrell
Jennifer Yamin-Ali

Editorial Advisory Board
Dr. Pamela Fraser-Abder, Associate Professor, Science Education,
Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development,
New York University
Dr. Claudia Harvey, Former UNESCO Representative, Office Director
and Education Advisor
Prof. Peter Kutnick, Professor of Psychology and Education, Faculty of
Education, The University of Hong Kong
Prof. Emeritus the Hon. Errol Miller, The University of the West Indies,
Mona
Prof. Jeanette Morris, Former Associate Provost, The University of
Trinidad and Tobago
Prof. Tom Russell, Faculty of Education, Queen’s University (Canada)

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© School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2013

ISSN 1017-5636
CARIBBEAN Volume 21

CURRICULUM
2013

CONTENTS

Foreword iii

Theodore Lewis

Delivering TVET at the Secondary Level: A Practical Approach 1

Halden A. Morris and Carole M. Powell

What de Teacher Say? Talk as a Mode of Inquiry in Curriculum
Enactment in a Technical-Vocational Classroom 19

Sharmila Nisha Harry and Tricia Lorraine Smith

Trends and Issues in Technology Education in the USA:
Lessons for the Caribbean 47

Raymond A. Dixon

Making TVET Relevant to a Postmodern Caribbean 81

David Subran

Choice and Performance in CSEC and Cape TVET Subjects:
A Comparison With More Conventional Subjects 97

Stafford A. Griffith

Revisiting Quality Assurance for Technical and Vocational
Education and Training (TVET) in the Caribbean 121

Halden Morris

Measuring and Certifying Skill and Competence in the Caribbean:
Some Conceptual and Practical Issues 149

Theodore Lewis
Notes on Contributors

Reviewers for this Issue

Instructions for Ordering

Information for Contributors

ii
FOREWORD
Rekindling Technical and Vocational Education and Training
(TVET) in the Caribbean
Technical and Vocational Education in the Caribbean has over the
decades been an area of contest and controversy in the curriculum. As
elsewhere in the world, it had often been viewed as second-class
education, suited more to other people’s children. But the subject
persists despite its uneven history, and a measure of its tenacity is that
its content is examined and certified by the Caribbean Examinations
Council (CXC). For decades, the received view about TVET as a
subject to be offered in the formal school system of developing
countries has been that such practice is ill-advised, for a host of reasons
including its expense, the lack of properly certified teachers, and the
mismatch between the content taught and the destinations where
students find themselves on graduating. The counsel has been that it is
better to postpone such education and to situate it closer to employment,
in structures such as apprenticeship. This view is seen particularly in the
opinion of World Bank experts, a very prominent work of this order
being Psacharopoulos (1991), in which the author offered a quite
condescending reading of TVET efforts in the developing world.
But across the globe in the 21st century we can see efforts to connect
school curricula with the workplace. This resurgence has come amid a
movement to conceive of the subject less in terms of the development of
craft skill and more in terms of a more broadly conceived set of
competences that combine academic and vocational content. This
resurgence often draws upon the work of John Dewey, who, in his work
Democracy and Education, advocated a more broadly educational
approach to the subject with a focus on connections among work,
family, and community. A good example of the rethinking about
vocational education are the competencies set forth in the SCANS
(Secretary’s Commission for Achieving Necessary Skills) report on
what the subject should look like in American schools.
One strong global trend is a focus on work-based curricula, an
approach that offers multiple prospects for approaching TVET. Included
here are internships, job-shadowing, apprenticeships, and service
learning. This focus is part of an attempt to make learning at school
more active and authentic than is customary. The European Union
provides a prototypic example of the global focus on this approach to
education, seen in programmes such as “Leonardo da Vinci.” German
apprenticeship continues to be a global model for linking schools and
workplaces.
Here in the Caribbean we have accepted the global focus on the
establishment of Qualification Frameworks and National Vocational
Qualifications (NVQs). Secondary school students across the region can
gain access to Caribbean Vocational Qualifications (CVQs) in various
TVET disciplines at the end of Form 5. CVQs provide a graduated
system of skills that would facilitate not just a stable set of standards
within countries, but also parity of standards as workers move from one
country to the next. National Training Agencies in the region, under the
banner of CANTA (Caribbean Association of National Training
Agencies) are busy seeking to get their skill standards systems on
stream.
This special issue of Caribbean Curriculum focuses exclusively on
Technical and Vocational Education and Training. The issue is timely in
that it was developed in parallel with the start-up of an MA degree in
Vocational Leadership at the School of Education at the St. Augustine
Campus of The University of the West Indies (UWI), which is
coordinated by Cipriani Davis. The issue reflects Caribbean Technical
and Vocational Education (TVET) on the move.
In the first paper by Halden Morris and Carole Powell, the authors
report on a pilot project in Jamaica in which a practical approach to
TVET implementation was attempted. The programme featured the
sharing of upgraded resources in two Parishes in Jamaica. It featured
collaboration between a wide-ranging set of stakeholders, including
parents, students, and industry representatives.
In the second article, authors Sharmila Harry and Tricia Smith report
on an ethnographic study of talk in a TVET classroom in Trinidad. They
took the approach that talk in the local classroom might be conducted
on the basis of the respective power positions of teacher and student.
The teacher would be dominant, the students would acquiesce meekly.
Their finding was that whole-class discussion dominated the dialogue,
and offered several reasons why this might be.
In the third article, Raymond Dixon examines trends and issues in
technology education in the USA, with implications for the Caribbean.
The paper identifies critical funded projects that helped transform the
field to the point where it now heavily reflects an engineering focus.
Highlighted in the review is the “Standards for Technological Literacy”
iv
(STL) project, which helped transform school curricula globally, and
the National Center for Engineering and Technology Education
(NCETE), which brought engineering in schools into focus and yielded
a number of new PhD s who have now taken up the mantle of STEM
leadership in the United States.
The fourth article, by David Subran, asserts that TVET in Caribbean
schools must make adjustments to accommodate new postmodern
realities. Postmodern societies are complex, being characterized by
uncertainty and rapid change, Subran contends, and they require greater
acceptance of diversity and willingness to be more inclusive. TVET
cannot proceed with business as usual in the face of these changes.
There must be greater infusion of academics into vocational content.
Stafford Griffith reports on his comparison of the performance of
CSEC and CAPE technical and vocational students with students
pursuing more traditional subjects. The aim was to determine the extent
to which there was parity in the numbers of students from the two tracks
who had progressed to the end of fifth form, and to see if one group was
academically superior to the other. The results provide good data on
vocational course-taking in Caribbean schools, but do not support the
popular view that it is the less able students who pursue technical and
vocational subjects.
In the sixth article, Halden Morris explores ways of thinking about
quality assurance for TVET programmes. Information for implementing
quality assurance regimes is provided.
In the final article Theodore Lewis points to tensions surrounding the
measurement of competence and skill, and suggests that these must
factor into our thinking as skill standards are set across the Caribbean.
The main challenge here is that in many instances it is quite difficult to
atomize skilled performance. This will especially be the case where tacit
skills are involved—or where skill is embodied in the performer. The
article points out that beyond the question of meeting standards is the
need to recognize that experts rely on attributes (such as intuition or
judgement) that are not easily reachable by novices. There is also the
question of ethical standards in skill, which distinguish between
performers who function at the level of techné and those who do at the
level of phronesis, where practice is morally imbued.
Taken together, the articles in this special issue all point to the
prospects and possibilities for the rejuvenation of TVET in the region.
There is work to be done to be sure, including reform of TVET policy,
v
and a more focussed approach to research. But opportunities abound for
those who are drawn to the field.
This special issue had the strong backing of Professor June George,
and the then Head of Department at the School of Education, Dr. Susan
Herbert. It was brought to fruition by the tireless work and technical
insights of Editor Lynda Quamina-Aiyejina. Recognition is due also to
the group of reviewers, from the Caribbean and elsewhere, who
responded to our call.
Reference
Psacharopoulos, G. (1991). Vocational education theory, Voced 101: Including
hints for ‘vocational planners.’ International Journal of Educational
Development, 11(3), 193–199. doi:10.1016/0738-0593(91)90019-5

Theodore Lewis
Guest Editor

vi
Caribbean Curriculum
Vol. 21, 2013, 1-18.

DELIVERING TVET AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL:
A Practical Approach

Halden A. Morris and Carole M. Powell

Secondary education can be regarded as the watershed of the
education continuum, as it is positioned between compulsory
primary education and the world of higher education, training,
and work. Hence, curricular content at this level should be
enriched and should be culturally sensitive towards the holistic
and relevant development of learners. The scope to provide a
complementary mix between academics and technical and
vocational education and training (TVET) in order to respond
to global demands is evident, and should be pursued in order
to facilitate human capital development (HCD). Challenges
envisioned and experienced in implementing such formidable
curricula exist, nevertheless with smart engaging approaches it
is believed that these can be overcome. This paper presents a
practical approach piloted in Jamaica to facilitate the delivery
of TVET in an economical manner. The approach emphasized
gains in sharing upgraded resources for the delivery of TVET.
Introduction and Background
As the sequel to compulsory primary education, secondary education
presents a major watershed in the education continuum. This is
particularly so as it prepares the way for entry into higher education and
training, the world of work, or both. Secondary education is therefore a
crucial arc in the learning curve and should offer an enriched culturally
sensitive curriculum for the holistic development of learners. Goldin
(2001) has noted that prior to the turn of the 19th century, industrial
nations like the US and UK keenly eyed technology and physical
capacity as the only sources of economic greatness. However, by the
early 20th century, new insights revealed the power of human capital in
the enhancement of economic production. Thus, according to Goldin,
human capital development (HCD) became important as a modern
concept in support of realizing the wealth of nations. Goldin further
pointed out that it was the US which led the way in post-elementary or
secondary education of the masses in support of HCD, which involves
the educating and training of people. To fulfil the new mandate as
identified and accepted by the US and other industrial nations, the
Halden A. Morris and Carole M. Powell
curriculum for secondary education became a feature for serious
consideration and much debate.
Ravitch (2000) has written that within the US, until the mid-19th
century, most of the secondary schools not only offered the classical
curriculum of Latin, Greek, and mathematics, but also what was known
as “modern subjects” such as history, science, English, and practical
subjects such as bookkeeping, surveying, and navigation. At that time,
the crux of the debate among education leaders revolved around whether
or not curricular provision should educate students for college or for
work. Ravitch pointed to teachings of the 19th century English
philosopher Herbert Spencer, who was himself a contender in the debate.
Spencer posed the signal question as to which knowledge was of most
worth. His conclusion was that knowledge which prepares an individual
for complete living was to be deemed most valuable. Knowledge for
complete living took into account the multifaceted nature of human
existence, and hence our need to know, to understand, and to do, so that
we would be enabled to subsist, at the very least. This conclusion was
one among similar opinions from powerful countries like France,
Germany, and Sweden that heralded the addition of manual and
vocational training to the secondary education curriculum and placed it
on a firm footing. This novel and potent curricular inclusion spread in
due course to the rest of the world, including the Caribbean.
A historical review of the Caribbean identifies the genesis of
vocational education as far back as the mid-19th century. The early days
of colonization saw the establishment of an apprenticeship programme
where individuals were taught a craft or trade by someone already
engaged in it. Payment for the instruction was in the form of a stipulated
number of years of work which was given back to the said establishment
or concern. By 1896, the early formalization of vocational education was
effected by the establishment of Kingston Technical School in Jamaica.
This and other such developments in the region was in response to the
new era of self-government and its attendant need for commercial and
manual skills to service local enterprise. More recently, in the
formulation of its Draft Plan for Educational Development in Trinidad
and Tobago, 1968-1983, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago
stipulated that “the curricula and syllabus used in the educational system
at all levels should be brought in line with modern trends and the needs
of the country as a whole” (Alleyne, 1995, p. 86). During the
implementation period of the plan, the Prime Minister, Hon. Dr. Eric
Williams, proposed some guidelines, which were approved by Cabinet
and resulted in what was deemed a signal guide for secondary curriculum
planning in Trinidad and Tobago. One proposal was “that an integrated
2
Delivering TVET at the Secondary Level
comprehensive program embracing the traditional academic, pre-
technical, commercial, general industrial and limited specialized craft
training be adopted as the national model for the 14plus education”
(Alleyne, 1995, p. 87).
Thus, in the Caribbean, the formalizing of manual and vocational
training, as evidenced by the establishment of technical schools and the
inclusion of practical subjects in schools’ curricula, occasioned a
complementary partnership between practical and academic subjects.
This partnership, experienced worldwide, evolved into the formidable
construct referred to as Technical Vocational Education and Training
(TVET).
TVET is said to present that side of curriculum that activates the
notion of applications learning, whereby the learner is made to consider
the relevance of all knowledge gained. By way of the discipline,
therefore, the learner becomes poised for meaningful entry into, and
existence in, adult life and living. UNESCO (2011) has provided the
following definition of TVET:
A comprehensive term referring to those aspects of the
educational process involving, in addition to general education:
the study of technologies and related sciences;
as well as the acquisition of practical skills, attitudes,
understanding, knowledge relating to occupations in various
sectors of economic and social life. (slide 4)
UNESCO further stipulated that TVET should be understood as:
an integral part of general education;
a means of preparing for occupational fields and for effective
participation in the world of work;
an aspect of lifelong learning and a preparation for
responsible citizenship;
an instrument for promoting environmentally sound
sustainable development (Greening TVET International
Framework)
a method of facilitating poverty alleviation. (slide 4)
For Jamaica’s Minister of Education, Hon. Burchell Whiteman, the
emphasis was on the ability of TVET to provide the individual with
competencies (knowledge, skills, and attitudes) required for on-the-job
and tertiary advancement in pursuit of technological careers. He
concluded that “TVET is not therefore ‘reclamation’ education for those
who fail to achieve academic excellence” (1992, p. 2). The following
CARICOM predecessor statement, which was based on a survey done in
3